Love

Love is a theme that pervades this novel and appears on practically every page. Austen wrote about nothing else and Emma is no exception. The characters are all in various stages of being in love, falling in love or wishing they were in love. Emma in particular seems to want to avoid love, but has no problem arranging it for other people.

When Emma thinks she has fallen in love she does her best to convince herself that this is not the case and ends up thinking herself right back out of love. This will come in handy later on to prevent more misfortune, but her friend may not be able to say the same.

As several characters fall in and out of love, it is interesting to watch the events transpire. Harriet in particular seems to be a victim of love as someone who is perpetually being...